I have become a statistic: I have the swine flu.
While the Health Center didn't test me for the specific strain, the doctor there informed me that the center has been running behind about 40 patients or more a week, and the bulk of them have come in with symptoms similar to that of H1N1. Instead of running unnecessary tests, they have been treating patients who present with its symptoms like they have it. So far it seems to be working.
Let me tell you, you don't want to get it. The only sickness I have ever had that has been worse than this is mono. By the time you're reading this, I'll have been knocked out of commission for five straight days — the "sleep 13 hours and only want to lay around and watch TV" sort of knocked out of commission. I've only pulled myself off the couch to write this in order to inform you all of how to prevent catching it.
I'm sure you've heard plenty of stuff about the swine flu. But here is a condensed version of everything I think you should know. And by "I think you should know," I actually mean what the Ball State Health Center and the Center for Disease Control thinks you should know.
Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something, such as a doorknob or desk, with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouths or noses. Studies have shown that the H1N1 virus can survive on surfaces and infect a person for two to eight hours.
Reactions to H1N1 have ranged from mild to severe. Although most sick people have recovered without medical treatment, we've also seen thousands of hospitalizations and deaths. While most flu viruses affect people younger than 5 and older than 65, H1N1 hits people 25 and younger the hardest.
People with H1N1 may be able to infect others up to one day before getting sick until five to seven days after.
Not all hope is lost though; there are ways to prevent it. Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Be prepared in case you get sick and need to stay home. Load up with a supply of over-the-counter medicines, alcohol-based hand rubs, tissues and other related items could help you to avoid the need to make trips out in public while you are sick and contagious.
If you happen to have a sick roommate or housemate, you can still live in the same place and not get sick. Establish regular schedules for frequent cleaning of anything you'll both come in contact with. Buying a large supply of disposable wipes will make this job easier.
It'll be fairly easy to determine if you have the flu. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have vomiting and diarrhea.
If you are sick with a flu-like illness, the CDC recommends you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, except to get medical care or other necessities. Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.
Seek immediate medical treatment if you have difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the chest or stomach, sudden dizziness, confusion and severe or persistent vomiting.
The treatment for H1N1 is mainly just rest, but there are medicines you can take to help speed up the course of infection. My illness was caught early enough (the first 48 hours) so I was able take the antiviral drug Tamiflu. This is supposed to help speed up the treatment and cut a few days off the illness.
In addition, I have been taking 600 milligrams of ibuprofen every six to eight hours, cough syrup when I wake up, NyQuil capsules when I go to bed and Mucinex every 12 hours. I've also been sleeping an average of 12-13 hours a day and drinking four to five bottles of water and two to three cups of tea a day.
To prevent spreading it to others, stay away from large groups. The best suggestion is to just self-isolate by locking yourself in a room, apartment or house. Be prepared to go stir-crazy, though. I've been in the same place for most of this week and I'm going completely nuts.
The swine flu knows no bounds. It is a cold, heartless bug. It doesn't care if you have a week full of tests and papers. It just wants to make you feel horrible, rob you of all motivation to be productive and be a complete menace. I urge you all to be vigilant in taking preventative measures against it.
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